(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to corrugated or solid fiberboard containers and, more particularly, is concerned with corrugated or solid fiberboard containers which are particularly adapted for being stacked on top of one another in stores.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Goods such as meat, poultry, fish, hardware, housewares, sporting goods, and other similar merchandise are typically shipped in standard boxes known as half-slot containers. Half-slot containers have a body section and a lid. The body section includes pair of opposing side panels, a front panel, a back panel, and a bottom portion. The opposing side panels, the front panel, and the back panel are typically composed of one layer of corrugated or fiberboard. The bottom portion is formed from two flaps, where each flap is connected to one of the opposing side panels. The flaps come together to form the bottom portion, and they are typically taped to one another so that the bottom portion is sturdy. The lid may be either a design style or a half-slotted style, and the lid may extend to an fraction of the depth of the body section.
A display opening is often cut into one or more of the body section panels so that goods within the container can be viewed or accessed through the display opening. When there is a display opening in the body section of the container, the lid must extend to such a depth of the body section that goods within the container are not exposed during shipping from producers to stores. When the goods reach the stores, store owners often prefer to store the shipped goods in the containers prior to sale. In order to use their selling space most efficiently, the store owners remove the container lids and stack the containers on top of one another. Store customers are able to view and access goods through the display opening.
The problem with the above practice is that containers at the bottom of a stack buckle under the weight of the containers stacked above them. Due to this buckling, contents of the buckling container may be either damaged or destroyed. In addition, containers at the top of the stack may fall over because of a lack of support.
Thus, a need exists for a corrugated or fiberboard container which provides superior stacking strength and stability without the use of a lid during stacking, and which allows store customers to view and access contents of the container when positioned in a stack of such containers.